Good morning, sports fans: PSU coach Bill O'Brien won't rule out two-way players; Hershey Bears' season on the line

The Penn State Coaches Caravan pulled into Williamsport on Tuesday, smack in the middle of fertile run-on country for head coach Bill O'Brien and the Nittany Lions.

View full sizePenn State head coach Bill O'Brien knows the Nittany Lions need the help of run-on players now more than ever, so he might even try them as two-way players should their skills fit on both sides of the ball. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com

PSU's need for non-scholarship players remains greater than ever, with its ranks thinned by an NCAA-imposed limit on football scholarship athletes in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky case and resulting sanctions.

O'Brien said Penn State continues to recruit talented student athletes who want a chance to play football for the Nittany Lions and will welcome the opportunity to run-on to the team.

"If you have a roster of 65 scholarships and you have all these kids who
you think are going to be good run-ons, you’ve got to take a certain
percentage of that roster and I can’t mention names right now, but guys
that we’ve been recruiting,” O’Brien said. “Can these guys do anything
on the other side of the ball?”

Going the distance: While O'Brien plans for the 2013 season, Hershey Bears coach Mark French hopes his team can extend its current AHL campaign.